Quick report
- Cracking
- widespread
- Collapsing
- widespread
We traveled with the expectation of remote triggering avalanches. Continual small collapses and a few large booming collapses were generally only confined due to terrain. Triggering an avalanche felt likely in steep terrain where the Persistent Slab problem existed.
We experienced continuous collapsing of the snowpack as we ascended W and N-facing slopes between 8,400-9,400'. One collapse traveled hundreds of feet.Weather
- Air Temp
- Low 20s F
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- previous
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
It was a bluebird day with no appreciable wind at upper elevations. The Sawtooth Valley was socked in with an inversion fog layer in the morning that was confined to the low elevations.
Snowpack
The snowpack was 30-35 cm in the valley bottom near the Chemeketan Campground. We had no trouble snowmobiling on the road or slowly through the flats. We're a couple of large storms away from much off-trail riding here. The upper 15 to 20 cm of snow was faceting, but the base of the slab was strong enough to keep a skier off the ground and propagate large collapses.
Avalanche
I observed small loose snow avalanches initiating in rock bands in the S. Boulders. I did not observe any similar activity in the S. Sawtooths, Smokys, or Western Smokys. Small persistent slab avalanches were observed in the Headwaters (see photos).